Preparations Under Way for 20th Anniversary Willemstad on UNESCO List

...Workshop attended by several stakeholders...WILLEMSTAD- November 25, 2016 – In preparation for the 20th anniversary celebration of Willemstad’s inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list, the Curaçao Monuments Fund Foundation, in close cooperation with the Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB), organized a workshop on November 22 and 23 in order to study, together with the main stakeholders, how to better publicize and develop our downtown area as a world heritage site.

This will, of course, also contribute to the important role this area plays as a tourism product. Attention was also given to the action plan to be carried out as December 4, 2017, the date marking Willemstad’s 20th anniversary on the UNESCO World Heritage list, draws near. Some key concerns involved in revitalizing Willemstad were also discussed, including the need for more housing possibilities in the downtown area, economic development, tourism activities and upkeep of the world heritage site. At the conclusion of the 2-day workshop, the group had come to agree on concrete projects and plans to work on in the days to come. In the course of the coming weeks, these will be formalized into an action plan, which will be forwarded to all participants. The group agreed to reconvene in January of 2017, to discuss the progress achieved. The workshop was attended by representatives of the following ministries and organizations: the Curaçao Monuments Fund Foundation, the CTB, the Ministry of Traffic Transportation and Spatial Planning, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Downtown Management Organization, the Otrobanda Merchants Association, the Curaçao Hospitality and Tourism Association (CHATA), the Chamber of Commerce, Punda and Otrobanda Federations, architects, property owners, entrepreneurs, property developers and investors.